Rotary hydraulic clutch



March 25, 194?.

4. s. BECKER ROTARY HYDRAULIC CLUTCH 2 Sheets-Shea?- 1 I Filed Nov. 23

HTTUW VEY J. S. BECKER ROTARY HYDRAULIC CLUTCH Filed Nov. 23, 1.942

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 MINIMUM] ulllll WHIIHIF N INVENTOR. Jaim ufifierlfer fPatented 25, 1 947 ROTARY HYDRAULIC CLUTCH John S.'Be.cker, Rochelle Park, N. J assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, Ind., a corporation of Delaware Application November 23, 1942, Serial No. 466,640

This invention relates to .hydraulic apparatus and particularly to the establishment and control of a hydraulic type of driving connection or transmission for 'transfer of energy from a driv-v ing'member to a member to ,be driven.

' An object of the invention is to provide a novel type of hydraulic transmission characterized by the ability of the mechanism to adjust itself automatically to variations in the conditions imposed thereupon, and in such a manner as to produce at the driven end of the unit a substantially constant speed or a substantially constant torque output, according to which is preferred in any given installation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel hydraulic transmission of the type including a pair of fluid receivin members rotatable about a common axis and adapted to occupy varying relative positions in response to variationsin the speed of the driving member.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from inspection of the following specification when read with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein are illustrated two embodiments of the invention. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only, and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention; reference being had to the appended claims for this purpose.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a device representing one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 21s a transverse view looking into one of the two complementary sections of the unit shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a device representing a second embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view along the line id of Fig. 3.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, there is disclosed therein a housing having complementary sections 5 and 6 provided with registering flanges 'i and 6 suitably secured as indicated at 9, and further provided with hub portions H and I2, respectively, the former being journaled upon the driving shaft it, as indicated at it, and sealed, as by a packing gland, to the right of the journal It, as shown, while the hub 82 is drivably connected by means of the key iii to the driven shaft H; the latter being counterbored to form a bearing portion is to receive the reduced end portion M of the driving shaft 93.

3 Claims. (CI. 60-54) 'Within the housing sections 5 and 6 there is provided a pair of fluid receiving vessels 26 and 21, each equipped with radially disposed vanes .as indicated at 28 and 2-9, respectively, so that the two units constitute complementary impellers or rotors corresponding to those employed in a conventional type of fluid clutch, and the disposition of the units 26 and 2'! being such that upon rotation of the driving shaft l3 (and therefore corresponding rotation of the driving impeller 26 which is keyed to the shaft i3, as indicated at 3!) liquid within the housing 5-6 will be picked up by the pockets formed in the impeller 26 by the vanes 28 and thrown from said pockets into the oppositely disposed pockets formed by the vanes 29 in the driven rotor 21, thereby causing a rotation of the said driven rotor 27 andin view of the physical connections between the driven rotor 2'! and the housing member 6-a corresponding rotation of the housing 5-6, thus producing rotation of the driven shaft ll.

The novel means whereby the speed of rotation of the driven shaft H is maintained substantially constant, notwithstanding variations in the speed of the driving shaft I3, will now be described. At angularly spaced intervals about the periphery of the driven rotor 21 there are provided radially extending fins or ribs 3-3 adapted to register with longitudinally extending tracks or splines 34 formed at corresponding intervals about the inner surface of the housing section 6' and constituting channels along which the ribs 33 may slide in a direction parallel to I the axis of rotation, while at the same timeconstituting the mechanical connection whereby the rotation of the driven rotor 21 is transmitted to the housing 5-6 and thence to the driven shaft ll. Also formed in the housing section 5 are a plurality of cylindrical recesses or pockets 38 corresponding in number and angular spacing to the number and angular spacing of the ribs 33, and each of said cylinders containing a piston or a plunger 39 having positive connection with a corresponding one of the ribs 33. As shown, the positive connections for each plunger and its associated rib include a rod M suitably secured to the piston at one end, as indicated at E2, and also securely fastened at its other end within a tapped hole or other suitable receiving means provided in a boss 63 forming an integral part of each rib 33 or of the housing of the driven rotor 21 at the pointsof formation of the said ribs 33. Each cylinder 38 is further provided with a coiled, partially compressed spring 5| 3 having abutment against the piston 39 at one end while its other end rests against the end wall of the cylinder, as shown. Intermediate the said end .wall and the piston there is provided in each cylinder a radially extending aperture 53 constituting a vent to prevent formation of a vacuum behind the piston. V

In operation of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. land 2, as the impeller 26 starts to'turn it drives housing 5-6, thereby set-,

, ting up a hydraulic pressure on the periphery of .slip may be controlled by adjusting the load on springs 5| in any suitable manner.

Turning now to the embodiment shown in Figs. 3 and 4, wherein corresponding elements are designated by reference numerals corresponding to those employed in Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a modified type of driven rotor wherein the said driven rotor is in the form of a series of angularly spaced vanes SI of L-shaped cross-section; the vanes being pivotally mounted in bearings 62 formed integral with the housing section 6 and also pivotally mounted at their inner ends in bearings 63 extending laterally from the hub portion' l2 of the housing section 6. A set of coiled compression springs 67 have engagement with one face of each of the vanes 6i and bear at their opposite ends against the wall of the housing section 6, the said springs acting to hold the vanes in the relative disposition indicated in Fig. 3, namely, in approximate alignment with the oppositely disposed vanes 28 of the driving impeller 26'; but as the speed of rotation increases which increased speed would otherwise create a tendency for a correspondingly increased torque output at the driven shaft I'lthe resulting increase in fluid pressure exerted against the vanes 6| will tend to turn the said vanes about their bearings 62 and 63 thereby producing a greater degree of compression of the springs 61. As such turning of the vanes occurs the amount of relative rotation or slip, as between the driving impeller 26 and the driven vanes 6|, will increase due to the increase in the gap between the opposing edges of the vanes 28 on the one hand and the now receding edges of the vanes 6| on the other. This increase in slip will in turn re- ,duce the fluid pressure being exerted upon the vanes 6 I, thereby ofisetting what would otherwise be the tendency toward increased torque at the driven shaft l1. Thus is produced an action by reason of which the torque output at the driven shaft I1 is maintained substantially constant.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, rollers 35 are provided to facilitate free shifting of ribs 33 along channel tracks 34.

What is claimed is:

1. In a hydraulic transmission, a housing, a driving impeller member mounted in said housing, a driven rotor member mounted in said hensing, fluid pressure responsive means carried by housing and exposed to and movable by the pressure developed in-said housing, means for connecting said pistons to said rotor member to impart their movement to said rotor member, and means disposed circumferentially about said rotor member and slidably connecting the latter ,to said housing for longitudinal movement relative to said housing.

2. In a hydraulic transmission, a housing provided with a plurality of longitudinal guideways on its interior face, a drive shaft rotatably mounted in said housing, an impeller member fixed, to said drive shaft, a. rotor member loosely mounted on said drive shaft and provided with means coacting with said guideways to effect longitudinal. guiding movement of said rotor member with respect to said housing, and fluid pressure responsive means to maintain said rotor in rotation at substantially constant speed, said means comprising a plurality of pistons arranged within said housing and exposed to and movable by the pressure developed in said housing, and means for connecting said pistons to said rotor member to impart their movement to said rotor member.

3. In a hydraulic transmission, a housing, a driving impeller member mounted in said housing, a driven rotor member mounted in said housing, fluid pressure responsive means carried by said housing to maintain said driven rotor member in rotation at substantially constant speed, said means comprising piston means or the like disposed within the circumferential confines of saidhousing and exposed to and movable by the pressure developed in said housing, means for connecting said piston means to said rotor memher to impart movement of the piston means to said rotor member, and means connecting the latter to said housing for longitudinal movement relative to said housing.

JOHN 'S. BECKER.

REFERENCES orrnn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,318,187 Addison May 4, 1943 1,199,361 Fottinger Sept. 26, 1916 2,089,590 Walti Aug. 10, 1937 2,363,952 Fillmore Nov. 28, 1944 2,336,167 Dillon Dec. 7, 1943 2,024,698 McDougall Dec. 17, 1935- 2,222,618 J andasek Nov. 26, 1940 2,240,650 Heyer May 6, 1941 2,015,300 Dell Sept. 24, 1935 1,047,948 Karminski Dec. 24, 1912 1,198,150 Radcliffe Sept. 12, 1916 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 438,616 British 1935 522,329 German 1931 518,828 German 1931 

